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We are excited to welcome Francesca Whitehead. As a Vice President at Fifth Wall, Francesca brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective on the intersection of property technology (prop tech) and climate innovation. Fifth Wall, known for being the largest venture fund in real estate and prop tech, plays a pivotal role in decarbonizing the built environment, aligning perfectly with Francesca's passion for impactful climate investing. Francesca shares her journey from growing up in Hong Kong and Vietnam, where the impacts of climate change were a daily reality, to her roles at Goldman Sachs and KKR, where she honed her investment skills with a focus on climate-related projects. She dives into her time at G2VP, a climate tech-focused fund, and discusses her current role at Fifth Wall, highlighting her strategic moves in the climate tech space, especially in Europe. We dive into the significance of heat pumps in reducing home emissions, the challenges and opportunities in carbon accounting, and the evolving landscape of climate tech investing. Francesca's insights into the complexities of the built environment, from materials to construction and building management, shed light on the potential for significant climate impact. This episode is brought to you by VSC Ventures, a leader in supporting and promoting climate startups. About VSC Ventures: For 20 years, our award-winning PR agency VSC has worked with innovative startups on positioning, messaging, and awareness and we are bringing that same expertise to help climate startups with storytelling and narrative building. Last year, general partners Vijay Chattha and Jay Kapoor raised a $21M fund to co-invest in the most promising startups alongside leading climate funds. Through the conversations on our show CLIMB by VSC, we're excited to share what we're doing at VSC and VSC Ventures on climate innovation with companies like Ample, Actual, Sesame Solar, Synop, Vibrant Planet, and Zume among many others.
This episode is part of our Capital Series hosted by Jason Jacobs. This series explores a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. Ben Kortlang is a partner at G2 Venture Partners, or G2VP. Ben, alongside his partners, Brook Porter, David Mount, and Daniel Oros founded G2 Venture Partners in 2016 while working together as senior partners at Kleiner Perkins Green Growth Fund. Ben and Jason have a great discussion in this episode about Ben's path to venture capital and his path to climate investing, his thoughts on the Cleantech 1.0 wave and some of the lessons learned, the formation story of the firm, their investment approach, how that's evolved over time and what they look for when they make investments. They also discuss the broader investment landscape and the clean energy transition overall, some of the blockers and some changes that Ben thinks could unlock faster progress. In this episode, we cover: [02:13]: G2 Venture Partners' origin story and overview[04:10]: Ben's initial interest in alternative energy[06:11]: Takeaways from his experience at VC firm Kleiner Perkens[14:51]: G2VP's 2016 spinout during the darkest hour of the "cleantech winter" [18:13]: Key lessons from cleantech investing[20:25]: Examples from Tesla's 20-year journey to success [22:30]: Cleantech's hardware challenge, software vs. hardware dynamics[24:34]: The need for resilience after Cleantech 1.0 skepticism[26:54]: G2VP's fundraising process and "inflection point investing" strategy[30:13]: Their fund structure and expansion across verticals[33:27]: LP composition changes and other differences between Fund 1 and Fund 2[35:22]: Geography, capital intensity, and regulatory risk considerations[39:32]: Balance between thesis-driven and opportunistic investments[40:48]: How the firm and their LPs approach impact [46:23]: Importance of deep research to identifying winners in B2B contexts[50:32]: Ben's thoughts on valuing companies and confidence in exits[53:43]: Addressing the "capital gap" for first-of-a-kind projects[55:38]: Climate's potential integration across sectors, similar to mobile tech[57:08]: "Additionality" in climate investing[59:24]: Ben's take on institutional capital's hesitance to invest in climate[01:03:10]: His take on whether we'll solve the climate crisis and how the world has to change [01:06:31]: Ben's messages to CIOs of university endowments, founders of successful companies, and independently wealthy peopleGet connected: Ben Kortlang LinkedInJason Jacobs Twitter / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on Jul 25, 2023 (published on Aug 16, 2023)
In der Mittagsfolge sprechen wir heute mit Philipp Schröder, CEO und Co-Founder von 1KOMMA5°, über die neue Bewertung von 1 Milliarde US-Dollar, wodurch das Unternehmen zum Einhorn aufgestiegen ist.Die 1KOMMA5° Gruppe ist ein Startup für die Installation von CO2-neutralen Energiesystemen im Privatkundenbereich, wie Solaranlagen, Wärmepumpen, Energiespeicher, Wallbox und Energiemanagement. Die mehr als 1.000 Klimaschutzexpertinnen und -experten an 50 Standorten haben bereits ca. 64.000 klimaneutrale Energiesysteme errichtet. Das Unternehmen will die zentrale Plattform für Deutschland erschaffen, die allen einen leichten Zugang zu besseren, günstigeren Installations- und Serviceleistungen für Klimatechnologien ermöglicht. 1KOMMA5° wurde im Jahr 2021 von Jannik Schall, Micha Grueber, Michael Hinderer, Philip Liesenfeld und Philipp Schröder in Hamburg gegründet.Nun hat das Startup nur 23 Monate nach der Gründung eine Bewertung von 1 Milliarde US-Dollar erhalten und ist damit zum Einhorn geworden. 1KOMMA5° hat 215 Millionen Euro an Eigenkapital aufgebracht und damit das Zielvolumen von 150 Millionen Euro aufgrund einer Überzeichnung übertroffen. Darüber hinaus hat das Unternehmen weitere 215 Millionen Euro in Form von Rückbeteiligungsoptionen bereitgestellt, die als Teil des Kaufpreises für neue Akquisitionen gezahlt werden können. Damit können bis zu 430 Millionen Euro in die vertikale Integration der Wertschöpfungskette investiert werden und die Technologieentwicklung vorantreiben. Durch die jüngste Übernahme des Marktführers Viasol in Dänemark hat das Einhorn seine Reichweite auf sechs Märkte ausdehnen können. Bis Ende 2023 ist zudem eine Expansion nach Spanien, Italien, Österreich und der Schweiz geplant. Außerdem plant 1KOMMA5°, einen hohen zweistelligen Millionenbetrag in sein neues Technologie-Entwicklungslabor in Berlin investieren zu können. Diese Investition wird es ermöglichen, die Software-Kapazitäten in den Bereichen Energiemanagement, virtuelles Kraftwerk und Geräteanbindung rund um das Energie-IoT-System namens Heartbeat weiter auszubauen. Dieses soll ab 2024 auch für bestehende Energiekomponenten verfügbar sein.Hier geht es zur Jobseite von 1Komma5°.
In der Rubrik “Investments & Exits” begrüßen wir heute Robina von Stein, Investor bei Contrarian Ventures. Robina kommentiert die Runde von 1Komma5 Grad und Focused Energy.Das deutsche Energie-Startup 1Komma5 Grad hat in einer Finanzierungsrunde 215 Millionen Euro eingesammelt und wird damit nur 23 Monate nach der Gründung zu einem Einhorn mit einer Bewertung von über einer Milliarde Euro. Die Firma plant, das frische Kapital in die Technologie zur Vernetzung der Stromproduktion, den Verbrauch und den Handel zu investieren. Zudem sind weitere Zukäufe vor allem in europäischen Ländern geplant. Zu den Investoren gehören namhafte Unternehmen wie G2VP, Porsche Ventures, Haniel, Eurazeo und b2venture. 1Komma5 Grad plant, den Umsatz im Jahr 2023 auf bis zu 600 Millionen Euro zu steigern und plant weitere Zukäufe in Spanien, Italien, Österreich und der Schweiz. Das auf Laserfusion spezialisierte Unternehmen Focused Energy hat in seiner Series A zusätzliche 11 Millionen US-Dollar eingesammelt, wodurch das Gesamtinvestment auf 82 Millionen US-Dollar erhöht wurde. Die Runde wurde von Prime Movers Lab sowie den vorherigen Investoren VCP Capital und Tony Florence angeführt. Focused Energy plant, die Mittel zur weiteren Erforschung und Kommerzialisierung der nuklearen Fusion als sichere, klimaneutrale und nahezu unerschöpfliche Energiequelle zu verwenden. Das Unternehmen, das von Chief Science Officer Markus Roth und CEO Thomas Forner geleitet wird, ist ein Spin-off der Technischen Universität Darmstadt und strebt an, in wenigen Jahren eine saubere Energieerzeugung durch laserbasierte Kernfusion zu ermöglichen.
From Goldman to Kleiner and the launch of G2VP, this Aussie has been at the forefront of support for entrepreneurs at the growth stage who are unlocking new paths to environmentally and socially responsible economic growth. Meet Ben Kortlang, Partner @ G2VP Ep.#42 Ben Kortlang, Partner @ G2 Venture Partners (G2VP) - Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup basecamp PART 1: Meet the investor In today's episode, we are speaking with Ben Kortlang, Partner at G2VP. G2 Venture Partners is a venture and growth firm focused on emerging technologies driving sustainable transformation across traditional industries. The firm focuses on supporting entrepreneurs at the growth stage who are unlocking new paths to environmentally and socially responsible economic growth. I was excited to have Ben on the show, a self-described “aussie, forced environmentalist” who grew up surrounded by nature and no electricity in the Australian bush, has spent his last 20 years proving that companies could be profitable and sustainable in business to win big. Prior to starting G2VP, Ben spent 7 years at Goldman Sachs and then joined the Silicon Valley VC ecosystem in 2008 with Kleiner Perkins where he started the Green Growth Fund focused on growth-stage sustainable industrial technology companies until 2020. In this episode, Ben will share his view of the US climate tech ecosystem, the fundamentals that drive the market today compared to the early days of the Cleantech era 1.0, and the US advantages/weaknesses compared to the EU and rest of the world. Then, he will discuss the framework G2VP developed to back winning growth stage companies in sustainable industrial tech and how they support their growth with their “G2VP Growth toolkit” . Together, we will go on to explore the climate tech sectors with promising impact/cash returns and the areas he believes have exciting potential for investment, growth, and impact. Afterward, Ben will share his view on the climate crisis today, why all the nature-based and tech solutions are important to solve the climate crisis, and how you can be involved with G2VP today. Part 2: My secret sauce: In the second part of the show, Ben will give his secret sauce for founders looking to pitch to investors successfully and share the key metrics investors are looking for when making their investment decisions. Lastly, Ben will cover how he tackles challenges to maintain a healthy work-life balance and share a few inspiring reads for climate tech founders.
In der Mittagsfolge sprechen wir heute mit Samuel Mueller, CEO und Co-Founder von Scandit, über die Series-D-Finanzierung von 150 Millionen US-Dollar in das Zürcher Startup. Scandit ist ein Anbieter von Smart-Data-Capture-Lösungen und verleiht Mitarbeitenden, Kundinnen und Kunden sowie Unternehmen Superkräfte. Mit Smart Devices wie Smartphones, Drohnen, digitalen Brillen und Robotern sammeln sie Daten aus Barcodes, Texten, Ausweisen und Objekten mit unübertroffener Geschwindigkeit, Genauigkeit und Intelligenz, um End-to-End-Prozesse zu automatisieren und wichtige Erkenntnisse zu gewinnen. Angeführt wurde die frische Finanzierungsrunde von Warburg Pincus, einem weltweit tätigen Spezialisten für Wachstumsinvestitionen mit erfolgreichen Beteiligungen an wachstumsstarken Unternehmen vor allem im Bereich B2B-Software. Die Finanzierungsrunde war deutlich überzeichnet und sah eine große Beteiligung bestehender Scandit-Investoren, darunter Atomico, Forestay Capital, G2VP, GV, Kreos, NGP Capital, Schneider Electric, Sony Innovation Fund by IGV1 und Swisscom Ventures. Das frische Kapital sollen für die Entwicklung fortschrittlicher Computer-Vision-Technologien verwendet werden, die traditionelle Industrien und Prozesse weiter transformieren. One more thing wird präsentiert von Sastrify – Die smarte Lösung für das Management eurer Software-Verträge. Erhaltet jetzt eine kostenlose Analyse eurer SaaS Tools und alle weiteren Informationen unter https://www.sastrify.com/insider
With its roots at Kleiner Perkins, G2VP is one of the first specialist venture capital funds to focus exclusively on how traditional industrial industries are digitizing. Zach discusses why VC specialization is just good business, makes the case for investors to "Get a Major", outlines why industrial digitization is moving faster than ever, and lays out why SPACs are just getting warmed up in these markets. We also outline why we both believe sustainability and resource efficiency are naturally tied directly to industrial technology investing.
This week were joined by Jake Tauscher, Investor at G2VP, to explore: - Why we should be buying more carbon offsets- Embedding offsets into our everyday lives- The most interesting startups he’s shortlisted- Industrial efficiency as a key opportunity area - Overhyped trendsLearn more at g2vp.com and read more of Jake’s writing here: https://medium.com/@john.l.tauscher
The need for deep industry knowledge and a deeper network of contacts has become key to competing in the crowded logistics venture capital arena. Zach Barasz, director at G2VP, and Ty Findley, managing partner with Ironspring, discuss the advantages startup and later-stage companies find when working with sector-focused VC funds.FreightWaves for Start UpsApple PodcastSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts
The need for deep industry knowledge and a deeper network of contacts has become key to competing in the crowded logistics venture capital arena. Zach Barasz, director at G2VP, and Ty Findley, managing partner with Ironspring, discuss the advantages startup and later-stage companies find when working with sector-focused VC funds.FreightWaves for Start UpsApple PodcastSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts
Technology has helped the world survive, thrive and stay connected through the COVID-19 lockdown. As countries look toward re-opening in a post-pandemic world, does tech hold the same promise in the fight to solve climate change? From mapping weather patterns with pinpoint accuracy using artificial intelligence, to engineering algae that gobbles up carbon dioxide, climate tech is ripe with breakthroughs. Is the tech sector poised for climate success, or suffering a pandemic setback? How will start-ups finance their new ventures during a global recession? Join us for a conversation with Saul Griffith, founder and chief scientist at Otherlab, Valerie Shen, chief operating officer at G2VP, and Michael Wilshire, head of strategy at BloombergNEF. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today on Point 01, Aaron Cohen, Therma’s Co-Founder and VP of Business Development, has an illuminating conversation with Monica Varman, an Investor at G2VP. Monica’s impressive experience runs the gamut from Government consulting at McKinsey to business analysis at Tesla to global solar energy work and beyond. Monica began her career studying Sustainable Development under the economist Jeffrey Sachs at Columbia University and later earned her MBA from Harvard Business School. At G2VP, a venture capital firm, Monica focuses on investments in the consumer and food & agriculture sectors. The companies Monica invests in have the potential to become Point 01 enterprises which makes her a Point 01 expert. You can find more on Monica's work at G2VP here: g2vp.com Don't forget to like, subscribe and follow us on the web @Point01Podcast and at climate.hellotherma.com.
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.
Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with George Arison of Shift Cars (Shift.com), an online car shopping platform that brings the car to your door for test drives. In this episode, George talks about how fundraising is a process of "VC thesis matching," how he raised the seed round by going back to previous bosses and co-workers, how startup valuations really work, tips for surviving a downturn, why the next few years will be great for founders, and more. We also go deep into what happens during a "down round" and how to best deal with it -- for example, getting existing investors to commit to a price, dealing with anti-dilution clauses, changing the liquidation stack, increasing the option pool to keep employees happy, and more. The Company most recently raised $181 million of Series D venture funding in a deal led by Lithia Motors. BMW i Ventures, Alliance Ventures, G2VP, Highland Capital Partners, Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, DCM Ventures, Threshold Ventures, 122 West ventures, MicroVentures and other investors also participated. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.2 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com
Robert Sadow and Jonathan Sadow are the cofounders of Scoop which brings commuters together in convenient carpools by partnering with their employers. The company has raised so far over $100 million from top tier investors including Activate Capital Partners, Index Ventures, G2VP, and Signia Venture Partners to name a few.
Robert Sadow and Jonathan Sadow are the cofounders of Scoop which brings commuters together in convenient carpools by partnering with their employers. The company has raised so far over $100 million from top tier investors including Activate Capital Partners, Index Ventures, G2VP, and Signia Venture Partners to name a few.
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.
Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Robert Sadow of Scoop (www.takescoop.com), a carpooling service that helps users share a commute with nearby coworkers and neighbors. In this episode, Robert talks about how to know when you are ready to raise each round, nuances of raising Series C, tips for running a process, raising capital from strategic investors, tips for managing your Board, and more. The Company most recently raised $60 million of Series C venture funding in a deal led by Activate Capital Partners. Workday Ventures, Total Group, Total Ventures, BNP Paribas Capital Partners, Goldman Sachs Private Capital Investing Group, Signia Venture Partners, Index Ventures, G2VP, Prelude Ventures, King River Capital and NGP Capital also participated in the round. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com.
This week on the pod, Thom Byrne speaks to Daniel Oros, co-founder of G2VP. Byrne and Oros discuss the state of venture capital and the sustainable companies G2VP invests in. In 2009, Daniel joined Kleiner Perkins and led investments for the Green Growth Fund before co-founding G2VP. Daniel’s primary focus has been on rapidly growing technology companies in the industrial, consumer, and financial services sectors. Dan is a Board member at Fictiv, an observer at Turvo, and led G2VP’s investment in Carbon. He also serves as a Board member at Optoro, a Green Growth Fund portfolio company. Prior to this, Mr. Oros was a Vice President of the Goldman Sachs Special Situations Group and a founding member of its Alternative Energy Investing team. Mr. Oros holds a B.S. degree, with distinction, in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford, with a concentration in Financial and Decision Engineering. Experts Only is hosted by CleanCapital. Learn more: www.cleancapital.com/experts-only Follow on Twitter: @CleanCapital_ To learn more about G2VP’s investment Portfolio check out: https://www.g2vp.com/
In our conversation with David Mount, parter at the VC firm G2VP, he shares some of his experiences working with companies in the energy and industrial sector. He discusses some of the unique characteristics that lead to success, the interactions with key customers, and the need for VCs to adjust their perspective to customer success when working in the industrial sector. He also compares and contrasts how and why certain industries have been moved faster and been more successful in digitalizing their businesses, and discusses the potential unleashed by AI, machine learning and other technologies. Finally, he highlights notable startups in the space including Kelvin, Alea, Zomi, Xage and Particle.In
Join us this week as we speak with Brook Porter, Partner with G2VP and discuss his career working for some of Silicon Valley’s most iconic funds at Kleiner Perkins before launching his own fund, and what he sees on the horizon for energy markets.